Foxglove
by A Scribbler
Summary: Danny and friends come across Vixey, a new girl in school that has some pretty unusual powers of her own, but is she a ghost? Is she a threat? Why can't she tell them what's really going on? It's up to Danny and the gang to get to the bottom of things!
1. Chapter 1: Out of the Den

That was the last straw! Danny pulled himself from the cascade of cardboard boxes and glared up at the spectre with his neon green eyes. The ghost he was battling with was no threat to him, just merely and annoyance, The Box Ghost... Seriously, where had this guy come from and what was up with him and boxes? Danny took to the air and collided his fist with the ghouls pudgy stomach, knocking him off balance. Seeing his opportunity, Danny swerved in the air and pulled out the 'Fenton Thermos' and aimed it at the winded target. He was momentarily blinded by the surge of green and white energy that flashed out from the device, but the yell of anger and surprise was more than enough satisfaction. With a smooth click, the lid was replaced and all was quiet.

Danny peeked open his eyes and saw the familiar green light on the side of the device indicating that his capture was a success. He smirked and slid the thermos back into the compartment on his belt and descended back to the ground. He felt the rush of energy pulse through him as he released his ghost-self. His white hair darkened and the neon green in his eyes melted into a bright blue. Once again, he found himself in his comfy jeans and T-shirt. Suddenly, a chill ran down his spine and an icy mist slithered out from his lips.

He braced himself, another ghost? Really? He scanned the area, but he couldn't see anything, in fact, the entire ghost sense had pretty much worn off by this point. Now, all that remained was the awkward feeling that he was being watched. Out of the corner of his eye, Danny saw something move.

In an instant, he was back in ghost form and holding a pulsating plasma ball in the palm of his hand, ready to attack. He jumped, ready to hover in the air to get a better view on the attacker when his foot slipped on a stray cardboard box, sending him falling backwards. He lay on his back and lifted his head, viewing the room upside down. However, what he saw surprised him. It was a fox. A small fox that looked just past cub-hood. Danny evaporated the plasma ball and rolled over to his knees to get a better look. He had to admit; it was a cute little thing. It flinched as he morphed back into his human form and eyed him suspiciously with it's unusually bright, violet eyes.

"It's okay, I'm not gonna hurt ya." he hushed, holding out his hand.

It tilted it's head to the side and edged it's way closer to him before nuzzling it's copper head against his palm. For a moment, Danny was sure that it smirked at him. In a swift flash of copper, it jumped up onto his shoulders and nipped his ear before using its tail to swipe at the thermos. The device was detached from it's fastening and was caught by the teeth of the fox. Danny cried out in surprise and went to snatch the thermos back, but the fox was already at the warehouse doorway. It paused for a moment to turn and face him. It winked at him, it actually winked at him, and then, it was gone.

Danny was frozen in shock, surely that didn't just happen? His hand prodded over his ear, it didn't hurt where the creature had nipped him, but it wasn't something he had been expecting. Great, now he'd lost the thermos to a stinking fox!

"This day just get's better and better..." he groaned, walking out into the street and heading home.

It had been an entire week since Danny had lost the ghost thermos to that weird fox. Needless to sat, Sam and Tucker had not been best pleased. They'd managed to find a replacement in the basement of his house, but it was still getting him down. He sat at his desk and waited for their teacher to show up. Sam arched an eyebrow at the doorway, making Danny and Tucker glance over. Their teacher, Mr. Lancer, had entered the room, but trailing behind him was someone that they'd never seen before.

"Well hello..." Tucker muttered.

"Class, as you know the school had been entered in a recent foreign exchange program. So allow me to introduce your new classmate, Vixey Den." he pulled out his 'teen-lingo' dictionary and cleared his throat, "Uh, show respect to ya fellow homie."

The room fell silent, Mr. Lancer sighed and shoved the book back into his packet. The new girl, Vixey, grinned and waved cheekily, showing off her oddly sharp looking teeth. In fact, everything about this girl seemed odd. Her thick, copper hair was pulled up to the top of her head in bunches that hung in waves down to her waist, the last few inches of her locks were faded from copper into pure white. Her bright eyes were a vibrant violet and seemed to be aware of every movement in the room whereas her slightly pointed ears gave her the air of someone who was very alert. Around her neck, she wore a pendant, but Danny couldn't make out what it was.

Danny felt a dig in the ribs from Tucker, "Recon I've got a shot?"

Sam rolled her eyes. Vixey smirked, but surely she couldn't have heard him from all the way over there? Vixey was told to take her seat, which it turned out was just in front of Danny. As she gracefully walked to her new desk, she paused to examine Danny carefully. He got the feeling that his ghost sense was about to activate, but it caught in his throat, making him shudder from the cold. She smiled sweetly and winked at him before taking her seat and turning her back on him. He turned to Sam and Ticker who were arching their brows questioningly, he replied with a shrug and tried to listen as Mr. Lancer started to teach. But he couldn't quite concentrate, he found it hard to listen anyway but today he couldn't shake the feeling in the pit of his stomach. He could feel that a ghost had been near, yet his ghost sense broke down half way through the detection. That had never happened to him before, and he didn't like it.

Later that day, Danny, Sam and Tucker were eating their lunch outside under the school apple tree in the shade. Danny was explaining to them the weird feeling he had experienced in the classroom.

"So you're saying that Vixey is some sort of ghost?" Sam asked, munching on her salad.

Danny shrugged, "I don't think so, it's not like I actually felt my ghost sense, I just expected to."

"Maybe it wasn't your _ghost_ sense that was going off." Tucker smirked, "Sorry dude, I call dibs."

"That is so typical pig-headed boy..." Sam muttered, rolling her eyes.

Danny leaned back against the trunk of the tree, "Maybe I've just been working to hard on this ghost stuff, it's messing with my head! Especially after that box-ghost incident..."

Sam nodded, "Good point, and will you stop beating yourself up about that, it wasn't your fault. Try taking it easy for a while."

"Yeah and then you never know, when a real ghost shows up your ghost sense will just hit you. OW!"

Tucker jumped to his feet, hands clutching his head as he looked up into the branches. An apple rolled in front of them having recently falling from the tree. They heard a giggle and the leaves started rustling. They jumped back in alarm as a figure swung into view, upside down and hanging with its legs hooked over one of the lower braches.

The new girl, Vixey, even upside down her violet eyes still level with theirs and her bunches dangling about a foot off the ground. She held a half-eaten apple in her hands and a cheeky grin.

"Sorry guys, how about them apples?" she winked, taking a bite.

"We're you eavesdropping on us?" Sam asked, folding her arms.

"Huh? No, I was looking for a good branch to sit and eat my lunch, but then I saw that I'd shaken a few apples loose and came down to apologise." she said sheepishly, "I didn't hurt you, did I?"

Tucker quickly composed himself and smirked, "Nah, nothing hurts me!"

"Is that right, nerd?" a cruel voice from behind them laughed.

Dash, the local jock stood poised with his arms folded and his all to familiar sneer plastered onto his face. Tucker instantly flushed and backed away. The jock smirked and eyed the upside down Vixey with interest.

"You don't want to go ruin your already non-existent rep with 'Fen-dork' and his nerds. Why not come hang around with me and the other popular peeps?"

Vixey arched her brow and smiled. She reached up to grip the branch and carry out a back-flip, landing perfectly on her feet, eyes bright with mischief.

"I would, but you see, I don't hang around with losers who don't shower after football practice, find pleasure in making fun of others and wear boxers with teddy-bears on them." she was glaring at him now, her face merely inches away from his, here eyed glanced downwards before snapping them back up to his.

"How did... AGH!" Dash looked down and noticed that his jeans were now around his ankles, the buckle of his belt sliced in half, he rushed to pull them up as people from across the school grounds started pointing and laughing, he started shuffling away, "I'll get you for that!"

Vixey waved, "I'm sure you will, along with some new underwear and some soap!"

Danny had to admit, this girl had guts, "Uh, thanks for that."

She shrugged, "No problem, mind if I sit with you guys?"

They shook their heads and returned to sitting on the grass. Sam watched carefully as Vixey pulled out a paper bag with a large recycling logo plastered on the side of it.

"You're a ultra-recyclo-vegetarian too?" she asked sceptically.

Vixey chewed her lips anxiously and pulled out a chicken sandwich, "Can I meet you half way? I'm an environmentalist, but I'm a meat eater, sorry."

Sam shrugged and smirked, "Hey it's better than nothing. I'm Sam by the way."

"The name's, Tucker, but the ladies call me..."

"Dork." Sam finished for him with a laugh.

"And I'm -"

"Danny, yeah, I know, you're parents are quite the talk around these parts." Vixey said, was that a hint of nervousness in her eye? "It's great to meet you properly."

They talked for the remainder of the lunch period. Danny quickly grew to like this girl, however, there was still something a little off about her that he just couldn't put his finger on. He noticed that she gave very little away about herself. In fact, she didn't give anything away. All that he had managed to get out of her was that she used to live in the countryside out of town, and only moved into the city about two weeks ago. That was it, nothing about her family or the name of the town she was from, nothing. Danny didn't mind about holding back info, he'd be a hypocrite if he did, but there was still something that didn't sit right with him. And what exactly did she mean by meeting him 'properly'?


	2. Chapter 2: Saved on the Sly

All of a sudden, a chill ran down his spine and he exhaled an icy mist. He held his breath, hoping that no one noticed. Sam gave him a concerned look and nodded. Tucker cleared his throat, trying to distract attention. Vixey however, was looking right at Danny, eyes bright and alert, a smile twitching at the corner of her mouth.

"Uh, I've gotta go, I'll catch up with you later." he stammered, getting to his feet and sprinting away.

He ducked behind the a wall and looked around, he was alone. "Going ghost." He muttered to himself, feeling the surge of power rush through his veins. His body vanished before his eyes, leaving him totally invisible, and took to the air. That ghost was somewhere around here, he could feel it.

Danny scanned the area from the skies, where was this spectre? Who was this spectre? He felt his ghost sense freezing in his throat, it must be close. Suddenly, a bolt of green light shot past his shoulder. He cried out in shock and tumbled to the left in the air to avoid it. Behind him, he noticed that blast transform into a large net and swing back around. Danny just managed to avoid it before it returned to its master.

"Skulker?" Danny cried, laying eyes on the large ghost hunter before him, "Shouldn't you be researching some gorilla facts or something?"

"That's not for another fifteen minutes, ghost-child, just enough time to add you to my little collection!" he growled, throwing another net bomb at him.

"Trust me," Danny called, avoiding another attack, "I'm not collection material!"

"But after I'm through with you, you'll be a limited edition!"

"Okay, the lane jokes have gone far enough!"

"I wasn't joking!" Skulker sneered.

Danny cried out in pain as he felt something hot burn against his chest. He felt himself being forced backwards in the air. Just in time, he managed to _**phase**_ his body so that he went through the building he had been hovering by instead of slamming straight into the brickwork. His arms were forced in front of him and he summoned his shield, allowing the blast to pass over him. Danny gritted his teeth and pushed his way back through the wall and into the open. As soon as he had Skulker in his sights, he groaned in effort and blasted the shield along with the beam right back in Skulker. The hunter was thrown off balance as the beam knocked off one of the net launchers on his back. Taking his opportunity, Danny turned in the air and flew in the opposite direction, away from the busy area below. He ducked and dived as more plasma blasts shot past him until he came to a more isolated part of ton near some apartment buildings.

All of a sudden, Danny felt another surge of heat burn into his back, this time giving him no time to recover before colliding face first into a wall. He groaned as he collected himself before holding out his hand and creating a plasma blast of his own. Wait... Wait... Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Skulker coming in for the capture. Wait... NOW! Danny swiftly turned and threw a series of plasma balls towards his attacker, catching him off guard. Skulker cried out in pain and tumbled in the air. Danny didn't let up, this was his chance. With one hand he shot a continuous beam of plasma and with the other, felt around his belt for the thermos.

"What? Where?" he stammered, "I had it right here!"

While he was hunting for his final chance at winning this battle, Danny didn't notice his own hunter finally managing to avoid the constant attack. Skulker sneered and threw his final net launcher into the air. Danny looked up just in time to see the glowing net hurtling towards him. There was no time for him to react. His arms and legs were bound to his sides and he was once again thrown back into the wall. The net weakened his powers so every inch of him pounded in agony as his head smacked against the brickwork.

Battling with himself not to pass out, Danny shook himself. Suddenly, he heard a cry of anger just below him. He looked down and saw a beam of green and white light hitting Skulker square in the chest. The hunter struggled against the restraint, but it was too strong. He was sucked into the light, vanishing from sight.

Danny panted, suddenly feeling exhausted. He looked down at himself, his hands were no longer gloved and a tuft of black hair drooped into his eyes. Oh no, he was in human form. He felt himself tilt forward from the broken brick and his stomach lurched as he plummeted to the ground head first. With the net wrapped around his body, he couldn't go ghost or try and grab at some of the bars on the fire escape on the side of the building. He yelled out in fear at the ground rushing up to meet him.

Suddenly, he felt something clamp around his ankle, jolting him into a stop. Danny looked down, or rather, up, at the ground which he had been all too close to having close contact with. He heard a giggle and looked around to find out where it had come from, and what he had been caught on to stop his fall. His eyes widened in surprise as he found that it was not a what that had saved him, but a who.

"Why is it every time we meet, one of us is upside down?"

Danny looked up and the red-headed girl that was leaning over the bar of the fire escape, her arms out-stretched with her hands clamped around his ankles. She winked at him with bright, violet eyes and started hoisting upwards to safety.

"Vixey?" he cried, glad to feel something solid beneath his feet.

"Surprised?" she grinned, starting to unravel the net from around him.

"Well, yeah! How did you get here and how did you -?"

To silence him, she lifted up a strange device and waved it in front of him. It was the thermos. Danny felt his jaw drop. He got to his feet and brushed himself down, taking the thermos from her and attaching it to his belt.

"So, how... uh, how much did you see?" Danny stammered, his throat suddenly dry.

She shrugged, "Enough, but it wasn't the fight that gave you away, it was back when we first met, remember?"

Danny tilted his head in confusion, "What are you talking about? We've just met today!"

Vixey grinned. In one quick movement, she had darted forward and nipped at his ear with her teeth. Danny jumped back in alarm and watched as she jumped up onto the safely bar of the fire escape. As she was in the air, two pure while circles of light swarmed around her, not unlike the ones Danny produced when he was going ghost. In milliseconds, she was swallowed by the energy, vanishing in the process. What was left, balancing gracefully on the bar, was a small fox. It flicked it's copper tail and winked at him with its violet eyes. Danny backed away and narrowed his eyes.

"You're a..." he gasped.

"Ghost? No." Vixey laughed, returning to human form and rolling her eyes, "Lets not be cliché, Danny, or hypocritical. It should me saying: You're a half-ghost? In my eyes that's far more of an anomaly."

She had him there, he scratched his head and eyed her suspiciously, "So, what's your story?"

Vixey hopped back up to the safely bar and crossed her legs, perfectly balanced, "Well, I'm one of a kind, I got bored and found my way to this area, and here I am. You?"

Danny was taken back by her blunt and vague explanation. Well if she wasn't going into details, neither was he, "Uh, got on the wrong end of my parents portal while it was being made, ended up half-ghost, and here I am. So, what exactly are you?"

A smirk twitched at the corner of her mouth, "A victim of circumstance. Well, Danny Fenton is Danny Phantom, a little Clark Kent/Superman in my opinion, but there you go. Sorry, I've been watching things around here for a while now. So you're playing hero?"

He blushed, respecting that she clearly didn't want to talk about herself, "Well, uh, that's one way of looking at it."

"I respect that." she nodded, "Yet you haven't tried to trap _me_ in that thing yet."

Danny noticed her looking at the thermos, "Well, you saved my life and you haven't really done anything bad, so there's no need. Not to mention, you're not a ghost, so it wouldn't work. Wait... why did you steal the other thermos last week?"

"I was curious; I wanted to figure out how it worked. Don't worry that ghost is still trapped inside, I'll give it back to you if you want?"

"Nah, looks like you can handle it pretty well on your own." he smiled.

She bowed, "Why thank you. Say, recon we should head back to school?"

Danny looked at his watch; they were going to be late if they didn't hurry. He nodded and summoned a surge of energy, making him turn into his ghost form. Her eyes lit up with wonder, she found it all fascinating. He leapt from the fire escape and hovered waiting for her, she smiled sheepishly.

"I can't fly, not a ghost, remember?"

He smiled and held out his hand. There was a flash of light and Danny felt something light and soft scamper up his arm and curl over his shoulders. He looked up at Vixey in fox-form nuzzling into the nape of his neck. They soared through the air under the cover of Danny's invisibility and ended behind the tree where they had eaten lunch. Sam and Tucker were still seated, looking anxious and keeping their eyes on the sky, looking for sign of Danny.

They jumped at the flash of light emitted from behind the trunk of the tree. Danny, back in human form, stepped out and slumped down to the ground.

"Sorry it took so long guys, Skulker..." he breathed, tapping the thermos triumphantly.

"Uh... Danny?" Tucker whispered, "Who's your friend?"

Danny tilted his head in confusion, then he remembered, Vixey was still perched over his shoulders, her tail flicking carelessly from side to side. He blushed and leant backwards so the she could hop off onto the grass with ease. She arched her copper brow at them and started brushing against Sam's arm.

"Uh... long story..."

He wasn't sure if he was meant to explain what had happened, or let Vixey do it herself. In the end, he chose to see how things would play out on their own. Sam lifted her arm and gingerly started scratching Vixey's head, smiling slightly. Tucker started to shuffle back when Vixey started making her way over to him, but his back hit the tree trunk and he could move no further. She leapt onto his lap and curled up, nuzzling her head against his knee. Danny chewed his lip and smacked his palm to his head, oh boy... Tucker got used to this and started to stroke the silky fur from her head down to her tail. Vixey rolled onto her side and allowed the transformation to take over her. Tucker and Sam cried out in surprise. Vixey lay across Tuckers lap, his hand rested on her hips, and grinned up at him. Tucker yelped and lifted his hands above his head, eyes locked on her.

"What's wrong? Fox got your tongue?" she grinned.

Danny snorted with laughter as both Sam and Tucker's jaws hit the floor just as the bell rang out for next class. Vixey pushed herself to her feet and adjusted her bunches.

"See you after school." she winked at them and made her way back to the school building.

Danny finished laughing and started to get to his feet too, when he noticed that his friends still hadn't moved from the overall shock. He cleared his throat and reddened slightly.

"I suppose I've got some explaining to do?" he mumbled.

"You think?" Sam snapped.

Tucker lowered his arms and looked at the hand that had been resting on Vixey's hips. Just then, his face broke out into a grin and there was a glint in his eyes as he mentally vowed never to wash that hand ever again.


	3. Chapter 3: Turn Tail and Run

After school had finished, Danny called the three back to the apple tree out of sight so that they could all talk privately. All the way there, Sam and Tucker just stared at Vixey in confusion and suspicion, but it seemed as though she was loving the attention. She grinned at them all the way. As soon as Danny scanned the area to make sure that they were alone, all three of them opened their mouths ready for the questions to start flowing. However, Vixey beat them all to it.

She waved as if she was in some sort of therapy group, "Hello, I'm Vixey and I'm not really sure what to call myself so don't ask for a label. Yes, I can turn into a fox at will. No, I am not a ghost. No, there no others like me that I know of. Uh... anything else?"

"HOW?" all three of them chanted together.

She reddened, "Now that I can't tell you, I'm really sorry but I can't."

Sam folded her arms, "No offence, but it seems a lot to ask to expect us to trust you if you won't even explain that to us."

"No offence, but it seems a lot to ask to expect me to explain everything when I'm not even sure how to explain it." Vixey retorted, "Anyway, you never instantly know everything about someone the day you meet them."

"But, Vixey, you have to understand that we're naturally going to be asking questions..." Danny added.

"Hey. I haven't been questioning you! You're half ghost for crying out loud!"

"Because you've been spying on him!" Tucker snapped.

"That's a tad harsh..." she muttered, shoulders dropping slightly, "You don't get it, well I thought you might. Bad stuff happened and I don't want to remind myself of it, so I'm sorry if I can't tell you why I'm like this, but I figured that people like you wouldn't care about what a person is or why they're like that. I figured... I figured that you'd accept me, even if I am a freak."

Everyone fell silent. A pang of guilt shot through them. Danny shifted uneasily. Freak. He'd heard that word enough, they all had.

"You're not a freak, Vixey, what was it you said earlier? A victim of circumstance?" he smiled, "You can tell us what those circumstances were, if you want?"

She returned a grateful smile, "It's complicated, I'll try to explain it but -"

In seconds, the chain of the pendant around her neck shrunk in size, tightening around her throat and cutting into her skin. She dropped to her knees and gasped for breath. Tucker yelped in horror and backed away while Sam instinctively reached out and pulled at the chain, trying to loosen it. However, he feeble attempts seemed to be making things worse. Vixey was slowly turning pale, her eyes getting heavy and unfocussed. Danny grabbed at the object on the chain. It was a silver trinket in the shape of a fox, its eyes were two emerald jewels that were now glowing brightly. He tried tugging at it, but nothing was working.

Vixey was making strangled gargles from her throat and weakly managed to push them away from her. There was a flash of light and she was back in her fox form. She stumbled around on her paws and panted heavily. For a moment, she lay flat on her stomach, her violet eyes closed. Danny crouched down and gently placed a hand on her back.

"Are you okay?"

The little creature lifted its head weakly and nodded. She returned to her human shape and rubbed at the red cuts around her neck.

"What was that all about?" Tucker demanded, prodding at her pendant which hung loosely now.

"I can't tell you," she was shivering, her pupils dilated with fear, "Please don't make me tell you. I'm going home now. I-I'll see you tomorrow, yeah?"

With that, Vixey sprinted off away from them. Danny called after her, but she didn't look back. Tucker and Sam exchanged glances, feeling a mixture of concern and guilt.

"Should we go after her?" Sam asked.

"We don't even know where she lives…" Danny sighed.

Tucker pulled out his digital organiser and started tapping the screen, "Now if I can just get past the fire-wall… Done! Here!"

He handed Danny the device which was now alight with the school logo along with numerous details on every student that attended. He scanned down the list until he came across Vixey's name, he loaded up the page and waited with very little patience. Sam leaned in over his shoulder, part of her hair swaying into his eyes. He liked her perfume, it was like fresh fruit and an icy breeze. He snapped himself out of his trance and narrowed his eyes on the screen. Finally, he located an address.

Danny nodded at the pair of them who stood next to each other to form a shield in front of him, behind them, he let the two circles of energy pass over him, transforming him into his ghost self. He grabbed a hold on Sam and Tuckers wrist and passed his invisibility through himself and over them. He lifted them into the air and flew in the direction of Vixey's home, not knowing what they were going to find there.

The flight was actually shorter than planned, landing in the middle of a deserted and run down set of apartments. He set his friends down on a fire escape while he hovered next to them by an open window. This was the place. They peered inside and found a small, practically empty bedroom, mainly consisting of a bare single bed and a fold-away clothes basket and a bedside table. On the table was a very decorative trinket that looked like a gravy-boat. Sam gasped, she knew that thing all to well. The boys narrowed their eyes in distrust at the object…

Just as she was about to explain, Vixey came storming into the room, tears streaming down her cheeks. She ran straight over to the trinket and rubbed her palm roughly against it. The room was filled with sparkling green smoke. When it had cleared, Vixey was left glaring up at a familiar figure. She was shapely wearing a pale blue belly top and bottoms that stood out more over her acid green skin, her jet black hair hung down past her waist, her bangs draped over one of her glowing red eyes. The three friends gasped in unison.

"Desiree!"


	4. Chapter 4: Wishful Thinking

Vixey glared up at the genie phantom and pointed at the pendant around her neck, "This wasn't part of the deal!"

Desiree smirked and flicked her hair to the side, "Of course it was, or don't you remember?"

"Not the part where you nearly kill me, no I don't!"

"You cannot blame me." She purred, enjoying the girls torment, "We made a deal, you made a wish. Do I need to remind you again?"

Vixey clenched her fists, her voice dripping with sarcasm, "Please, I'd love to know how strangling me was something _I_ wished for!"

"Such a temper in one so young, then again, you always did have a temper. Like the night you chose to steal from me, such a struggle you produced…"

"I was eight! I didn't know any better!" she protested.

"You knew enough to carry out the deed, such a _sly_ little thing you were! Yes, a fox was the perfect punishment for you, although you were not the most loyal of pets."

Danny saw her flinch at the word. He glanced at Sam and Tucker who remained glued to the scene. What was going on here?

"You see, as a rule, I have to grant any wishes thrown my way, it's a gift and a curse," Desiree explained, flicking her wrist passively, "but you see, if someone ever steals from a genie, then they are forever in their debt. No wishes. No freedom. No escape."

"I know that!" Vixey cried, "Just… stop enjoying it so much…"

At that, Desiree laughed, "Oh my poor little pet, why must you make me out to be so harsh? I allowed you to join a school, didn't I? Most masters would keep their slaves locked away in darkness, slowly driving them mad with isolation, but not me, I _have _given you freedom! I let you wonder the streets and even give you the option to change between human and animal form, you should be thanking me!"

"But at what cost?" she asked, prodding the pendant, "I'm only allowed out at night if I'm transformed, if I even think about telling someone the real truth about me this thing tries to kill me and… and you only let me go to school to bring Danny Phantom to you."

Sam and Tucker turned to face Danny, eyes wide in shock. Danny felt his breath catch in his throat. He leaned in closer to the window, ears straining to hear more.

Desiree scowled and leaned in to lift Vixey's chin upwards with a sharp finger, "I've told you before, if you dare try and mention me to anyone I won't hesitate to tighten that collar so much that it slices your throat." Vixey pulled away shuddering, "Anyway, as for Danny Phantom, what a disappointment you've been."

"I've only been there for one day! I'll find him."

Desiree rolled her eyes, "You're sure that you haven't met him yet? He doesn't look that different in his human form, it shouldn't be that hard."

"I told you I haven't found him yet! Why is he so important to you anyway?"

"It's a personal matter, nothing to do with you." Desiree spat.

"Well why can't you do it then!"

"He'll sense me coming before I can even arrive on school grounds, plus I can't afford any delays with granting wishes on the way there. It has to be you to bring him to me; and if you don't…"

Vixey gasped for breath as the chain of her pendant instantly shrank, re-opening the sore scrapes on her neck. Her fingers rapidly tugged but they fell numb and useless. Tears streamed down her cheeks as her eyes slowly became bloodshot. She had no choice, she morphed into her animalistic stature and panted for air as the chain loosened again. Desiree smirked down at the young vixen and scratched behind its ear.

"Such a good girl. You wished for freedom, I granted it, but it's _my_ idea of your freedom you're living by, got it?

The creature nodded its head before being consumed by the rings of energy, returning her to her human state, her face red from lack of hair and red sores lining her neck. She looked up at her capture with disgust and hatred.

"What happens if I bring Danny to you? Will you set me free, for real this time?"

Desiree arched her brow and cupped Vixey's cheek in a fake motherly fashion, her red eyes alight with mockery, "Of course, after I've taken care of Danny Phantom, you will be free. Free from me, from yourself… from everything."

All of a sudden, there was a shrill symphony of digital tones coming from Tuckers bag. The three froze as Danny grabbed the two friends and passed his invisibility through them. Tucker panicked and wrestled with his backpack, hunting for his organiser. He found it and clumsily switched it off, holding his breath hoping to go unnoticed. Inside, Desiree and Vixey could hear something from outside. Desiree smirked and ordered Vixey to search over to the window. The prisoner couldn't see anything, but she knew there was something there, she could sense it.

Danny, looked up in time to see Vixey looking through him, searching for the source of the noise. Feeling a pang of guilt, he knew that he had to leave. He gripped his friends around the wrist and lifted them upwards into the air, flying them back to his house. Once they were visible one more and Danny had flashed out of ghost form, he collapsed onto his bed. Sam placed a comforting hand of his shoulder.

Tucker threw his arms in the air, "She's working for Desiree? How did she even escape? We wished her into the thermos for goodness sake!"

"Tucker! She doesn't have a choice, she's a prisoner!" Sam rolled her eyes, "That poor kid. No wonder she couldn't tell us the truth, the truth would literally have killed her! Danny, is there anything we can do?"

Danny remained silent, he had no idea what to do. He knew that Desiree was manipulative and twisted everything she got her hands on into something for her entertainment, but this was sick. Part of him wanted to fly straight back and take her away from all of that, but he knew that it wouldn't work. She would still be in Desiree's control. No, he needed to think about this carefully.

"Can't we just wish her back in the thermos?" Tucker asked.

"What've you got in mind?" Sam smiled, arching her brow.

"There's a portable ghost portal in the basement." Danny answered, "If we can trap her inside the thermos and throw it into the Ghost Zone; that might be enough to get rid of her. Think about it, no ghost out there is going to want to go near a Fenton thermos and even if she does get out, she can't do anything because her bottle will still be in this world!"

"And Vixey, what happens to her?" Sam asked.

Tucker folded his arms, "Will she still be prisoner if Desiree is powerless in another world?"

Danny shrugged, "It's worth a shot, right?"

They all jumped by a tapping at the window. Danny sat up and saw a small flash of rusty coloured fur nudging against the glass. He jumped up and opened the window to let her in. The creature straightened up in a flash of white and glared at them with her now human violet eyes.

"What in the name of 'something I can't think of because I'm so annoyed' did you think you were doing? If you're going to sneak around then you have to be quiet!" Vixey snapped, glancing at the technology in Tuckers hand.

"You knew it was us?" Tucker asked, blushing as he stuffed the device back into his bag.

She rolled her eyes, "Yes! Why do you think I ran off at that moment, clearly leaving you with unanswered questions and a clear way of tracking me? I wanted you to follow me!"

They all looked at her questioningly. Suddenly, Sam's eyes brightened with realisation.

"Clever!" Sam praised, then noticed that the boys still had no clue, "She couldn't _tell_ us the truth, so she made an over the top exit so that we would follow her and she could _show_ us instead!"

Danny nodded in admiration while Tucker chewed his lip in thought. A spark ignited behind his glasses and he smiled, nodding in understanding.

"Danny, I'm so sorry, I never wanted any of this." Vixey pleaded, "I'm the one that did it with the thermos I stole from you, but that was just because I had to. I never dreamed that this would happen. I'm sorry, I'm sorry to all of you…"

They all noted how she was deliberately choosing her words carefully, never actually mentioning Desiree or her imprisonment.

Sam put a comforting arm over her shoulders, "You've been protecting him, that's nothing to apologise for."

She smiled appreciatively, "Thanks guys… Oh…"

Her body slimed slightly and her eyes went blank. In an instant, her sweet smile turned into a cold, cruel smirk. Her violet eyes gleamed red. Sam snapped her arm away from her. Danny; pulling Sam behind him protectively, whispered "Going ghost!" and transformed determinedly. Tucker braced himself, eyes narrowing on the girl dangerously.

"Found you, Danny!" Vixey's voice was no longer present, now it was seductive and cold.

"Desiree?" Danny started, clenching his fists.

"That's right, ghost-boy, looks like my little pet wasn't the only one who knew you were watching after all. Don't try and get the better of me this time children, it won't work out in your favour."

"What do you want?" Danny demanded, glaring into the crimson eyes before him.

"What else, revenge? Sounds so cliché but I'm a sucker for the classics. Now here this, if you want your little friend to be free, then come and find me. I'm sure you know where to go by now?"

There was an eruption of sparkling green smoke and they were alone. Sam grabbed onto Danny's hand while Tucker coughed and spluttered among the smog. Vixey was gone. Danny growled in frustration and clenched his fists in rage.

Sam gasped for air behind him, "What're we going to do Danny?"

He turned to face her directly, "I'm going to hand myself in."

His friends froze, their mouths hanging agape. Sam grabbed him by the shoulders and shook him, her lilac eyes wide in horror.

"Danny, no, you can't! That's exactly what Desiree wants!"

Tucker nodded, "Yeah dude, I know this is bad but giving up like that isn't going to help anyone!"

Danny narrowed his neon green eyes and folded his arms, "Who said anything about giving up? Here's what's going to happen…"


	5. Chapter 5: A Wish too Far

Danny hovered outside the window that he and his friends had been lurking beneath earlier. He had made sure that he was invisible and the coast was clear before pushing himself through the brickwork. The room he found himself in was icy-cold and horribly bare. In the corner of the room, something of rust colour was chained to the wall, curled up in a ball of fur.

He hovered over to it, not wanting to make a sound and started pulling at the chains. The creature jumped to its feet in alarm at the unseen force.

"Vixey it's me, calm down, I'm getting you out of here." Danny whispered.

She widened her violet eyes towards the sound of his voice and relaxed slightly. The chain around her throat along with the collar-like pendant, pulling the chain would only make things worse and she would surely strangle herself if she tried to help in human form. He aimed his index finger at the chain and tried slicing through it with a beam of ghost energy, but the links held firm.

Vixey suddenly sprang to her paws once again, bright eyed and shifting uncomfortably. Danny put a hand gently on her back and whispered.

"We'll be out soon, calm down."

This only made her more jittery and agitated, she turned quickly bit at his fingers, making hum retract in shock. What was she doing? She turned again and was flicking her tail at something behind him.

"Trying to steal from me?" Danny was thrown out of his invisibility at the voice behind him, "Tut-tut, Danny."

The acid-green genie floated before him, a cruel smirk fixed into place.

"Alright Desiree, I'm here, what do you want with me?" he demanded, shielding Vixey from view.

"It's simple really…"

Desiree snapped her fingers. Two glowing chains shot out of the shadowed corners of the room. Before Danny could react, they had coiled around his body like snakes, securing his arms to his sides. The more he struggled, the tighter they became. He tried to pass through them but his powers weren't working. He sank to his knees and glared up at his captor.

"… I need you for a little experiment of mine. You see, I'm tired of granting wishes for everyone. So I figured, if I was human, I would be able to do what I wanted, no more trailing after idiotic wish after idiotic wish. Now, I'm not naïve, I know there is no coming back from the dead, but I can however, _half_ come back."

"What're you talking about? Can't you just get someone to wish you human?"

She scoffed, "If it was that easy do you think you would be here? No, I can't."

"But what do you mean half come back? That makes no se…" he stopped and took a look at himself, "You mean half ghost, half human, don't you?"

She clapped her hands together sarcastically, "You got it ghost-boy. All I need to do is splice my DNA with some of yours, and there we go."

Danny allowed himself a smile, "Well if you need my DNA, why not just take some hair or something? Is there really any need for this?" he struggled in his bonds.

"I should have been more specific. I need to splice my DNA… with _you_. It's a little out of my style, but I'll be the talk of the Ghost Zone, imagine, Desiree: the one who got out and took down Danny Phantom along the way."

Danny struggled harder, the air being squeezed out of him, "Look, you've got me, so let Vixey go, you don't need her anymore!"

Desiree smirked and floated over to the quivering cub, lifting her up by the back of the neck. Vixey growled in pain and hatred, slashing her claws uselessly at her tormentor.

"That's where you're wrong again. You see, after I've dealt with you, I still need a human body of my own."

Danny clenched his jaw and fought against his bonds. No, he could let this happen. Wanting to become human, or even half-human was fair enough, but to kill people for it and pass off someone's body as their own was despicable. Suddenly, he had an idea. It was simple, but it had worked before. He just had to use it to his advantage. He stopped moving and glared into her crimson eyes in triumph.

"I _wish_ you wouldn't do that and I _wish_ you would go inside the thermos and I _wish_ you would never come out!"

Desiree froze, dropping Vixey to the ground. She widened her eyes and cried out in rage and horror. Her body arched and warped as if something was pulling her away. There was a flash of light, blinding him. When he opened his eyes, she was gone. He grinned triumphantly at Vixey before looking down at himself. Hmm, he thought, I should have wished us free too. Then, out of the corner of his eye, he could see Vixey flinch. He eyed her questioningly and then turned his head. Suddenly, he came nose to nose with a very smug, ruby-eyed face.

"Agh!" he jumped back in surprise.

"Did you honestly think it was going to be that easy?" asked the genie, folding her arms, "You tried to steal what was mine, remember? I don't owe you any wishes now. Plus, there's the little rule that you can't make the same wish twice. So I'm not going back into that thermos… _ever_!"

Danny glowered at her. He was sure that there wasn't many rules before, "Is there a hand-book or something to this?"

She smirked and turned away from him. The chain that was keeping Vixey fixed to the wall broke away and snakes itself around Desiree's wrist, like a leash. She gave it a sharp tug, forcing Vixey onto her feet. The little creature looked at Danny with sad, apologetic eyes and then lowered its head to look at the ground. She couldn't believe she had let this happen. Deep down she knew that there was nothing she could have done to prevent this, but that made it all the worse.

Danny felt the chains tighten around him as he was lifted into the air, floating a few feet behind Desiree. They were taken into another room that was completely white, so sterile that Danny could make out their reflections in the tiled walls. Against one wall were two metallic containment units with a glass window on the door of each. Producing from the top of the containers were tubes that connected at the ceiling and ran across to the other side of the room where there was a third unit.

Desiree snapped her fingers and the chain around Vixey vanished. In an instant, Vixey was swallowed by the rings of light and stood before them in her human form. Her violet eyes were puffed around the edges and a look of pure hatred was plastered across her face. She clenched her fists and lunged towards the genie. Desiree quickly avoided the attack and grabbed a handful of the girls copper hair, yanking her to the ground.

"Can't you just pass into me? You don't need him!" Vixey cried desperately.

She hated herself for this. Danny was an innocent person in all of this and she had dragged him along for the ride of hell. Now he was going to die because of her. If she knew his friends like she thought she did, it would be long before they went and got themselves killed too. Only this time, if Desiree succeeded, it would be at her hands. She couldn't let people get hurt because of her mistakes!

"Well I could, but that would be possession, and that's a temporary arrangement. I want this to be _permanent_!"

"You're pure evil!" she spat.

The genie smiled, "And you're my little helper."

Vixey struggled and kicked but Desiree allowed every attack to pass through her body without leaving a mark. She suddenly lifted Vixey into the air by her hair and threw her into the lone container, slamming the door shut. Vixey could be seen slamming her fists against the unmoving door and shouting in protest from behind the glass. However, no sound came out. The containers were totally sound proof and impenetrable. Danny gulped as Desiree started leading him towards one of the containers that were side by side.

"You see, you go in that one, and I in the other, our DNA will splice up there in the tubes and travel into her over there. Simple. Any last words, Danny Phantom?" she asked sweetly.

Danny smiled anxiously and hopefully, "I _wish_ you wouldn't do this?"

"I'm going to miss that sense of humour of yours." She laughed as she closed the door on him.

Just then, the sound of breaking glass made them jump. The scarlet eyes narrowed as she turned to the source of the noise. Danny was surprised to discover that although no one could here him in there, he could hear everything that was going on outside his isolation.

"My bottle!" Desiree cried as she vanished into the previous room.

Danny pounded his fists against the door and pass through it, but nothing was working. He looked out across the room where his eyes met Vixey's. She was shaking her head and mouthing something that looked like an apology. He narrowed his eyes at her and shook his head, screaming out to her that she should feel guilty over this. That it wasn't her fault. Everything was going to be fine. She seemed to get the message and thanked him, pressing her hand against the glass. Danny returned the gesture and looked around his prison. There had to be some way out of here. Desiree returned to the sterile room, dragging two figures behind her.

The figure with the spectacles was pointing accusingly, "You won't get away with this, lady; I _wish_ you back into the thermos! I _wish -_"

"Oh please, not this again…" the genie groaned, turning to explain that she doesn't grant the same wish twice or grant wishes to thieves.

"How convenient!" The gothic girl snapped.

Danny cried out from his prison, "Sam! Tuck! Get out of here!"

They couldn't hear him. All they saw was Danny struggling and screaming silently behind a door. Sam broke free from the ghosts grip and sprinted to the door, pulling with all her might, but it was no use. It was sealed tight.

"Let him out!" she caught sight of Vixey, "Let them go, now!"

"Yeah! And we didn't try and steal anything!" Tucker added, nodding for effect.

Desiree snapped her fingers, sending the two flying backwards and colliding harshly with the wall. They couldn't move, there were frozen in position, backs flat against the wall.

"Touch my bottle, and it's stealing. You don't touch the bottle, got it?" she leered at them.

Her eyes caught sight of the Fenton thermos slotted in the side of Tuckers belt. She sniggered and pulled it out, spinning it in her palm. She made a face that parents did to children when the child was in the wrong, but they were making it into a joke. The classic: 'Now that wasn't a good idea was it silly, now run off and play' kind of look.

She turned away from them and looked at Danny, then over to Vixey. A cold, wry smile spread across her mouth.

"I _wish _to be human…" she sighed, floating over to the empty containment unit, glancing at herself in the walls reflection and laughing manically, "So I have wished it, so it shall be!"


	6. Chapter 6: Twisting Tails

Vixey struggled as hard as she could against the unmoving door of her prison. Her fists throbbed from the pain of the constant collision she was forcing them through. But she had to get out. Her ears pricked at the sound of Desiree's fright over the idea of her bottle being broken. She had an idea, but it was useless if she was stuck inside. The thought of Desiree living permanently inside her body made her skin crawl, and the knowledge that Danny, Sam and Tucker were going to be hurt because of her was enough to make her vomit. This couldn't happen. She wouldn't let it.

Her eye caught the metal vent above her that attached to the tubes, leading to Desiree and Danny's containment units. Her eyes brightened. She clawed at the window, trying to attract Danny's attention. His neon green eyes locked on her violets and eyed her questioningly. She knew that he could hear her. So instead, she pointed upwards. Mouthing at him to look at the vent. He looked and slowly understood. She nodded, and traced her finger along the glass, indicating the tubes. As soon as she thought that he got the idea, she jumped up and hooked her fingers inside the vent, hoisting herself up.

Danny watched and finally clicked. He hovered up just as Desiree was closing herself inside her own containment unit. He guided himself into the open vent and pushing himself along the tubes that travelled along the ceiling. He saw a pair of eyes just ahead of him where Vixey was scooting along towards him. They grinned as Danny grabbed her arm, triggering the re-ability to faze his, and her, body through the metal tubes and reappear on the floor on the unusually sterile room. Desiree snarled in anger as she burst through the containment door and lunged at Danny.

"Danny look out!" Sam cried.

Danny just managed to duck as the genie shot as him, fingers hooked into claws ready to maul at him. He turned on his heel and summoned a ball of glowing plasma, ready to aim it at her. She avoided the attack and lunged again. He fired a series of glowing energy towards her. Her agile body snaking in the air to doge each one. However, by avoiding them, they were free to ricochet off of the ghost proof walls and collide with the containment units. There was an almighty explosion as the wires inside fried from the contact. Smoke poured into the air as the technology groaned and malfunctioned. Desiree's eyes glowed in rage. She cried out in anger and aimed her hands at Danny's throat. Danny was pinned to the wall, the furious spectre clenching her hands around his neck.

"You're going to pay for this, boy, I promise you that!" she spat, her long hair flowing like static around her from rage.

Vixey, avoiding the chaos around her, rushed to Sam and Tucker, using all of her strength to prise them out of the wall where they had been frozen. They dropped to the floor, gasping for breath. She didn't wait to help them to their feet, she had something to do.

Tucker struggled to his feet and threw himself at the genie, knocking her to the side. He anxiously swatted at her arms as they tried to grab at him while Sam pulled Danny to his feet. She cupped his face, lifting it upwards trying to get him to focus. The air poured down his throat as he shook himself and regained his alert stature. Tucker came flying through the air, throwing him and Sam to the ground. Danny braced himself, ready for another scrap with Desiree.

"HEY!"

Desiree paused at the sudden exclamation. She glared at the owner and felt her pupils dilate in fear. Vixey stood in the doorway, eyes narrowed challengingly and a gleaming object in her hand. It was a bottle, a glittering bottle that was recognisable from any perspective.

"Such a disobedient little pet you are…" Desiree breathed, "Hand that to me, _now_!"

"I'm done doing what you say! You don't own me anymore! Now let them go, or I'll smash it!" Vixey cried.

Desiree tried to assume a passive attitude, but she wasn't fooling anyone, there was no hiding the panic in her eyes, "_Pfft_, what makes you think that smashing it will do anything to me?"

"Are you willing to test it?" Tucker asked, triumphantly raising an eyebrow.

Vixey threateningly raised the bottle above her head, preparing to through it down on the tiled floor at any given moment. She wanted to see it shatter, to see it break apart before her, but she had to give her captor a chance…

"NO!" Desiree gasped, making them smirk with satisfaction, "Okay Vixey, you want your freedom? Then by all means, try and take it!"

The red head gasped at the pendant around her neck instantly tightened. Her fingers clawed at the chain uselessly. She collapsed to her knees, the bottle rolling from her hand and gently to the floor, rattling along the tiles. Desiree lifted Danny into the air and forced him backwards into the wall, cracking the white surface behind his head and back. She did the same with Tucker, letting him fall to the floor as his consciousness wavered. She turned to do the same to Sam, but let out a snarl as she saw the gothic girl standing strongly on the other side of the room, bottle in hand.

"One last chance Desiree, what's it gonna be?" she asked, clenching her jaw determinedly.

The genie looked longingly at her bottle, then at poisonous hatred at the girl. She spared a moment to glare at her servant, laying pitifully on the ground struggling for air. The chain around her neck cutting deeply into her skin. She was putting up more of a fight this time, normally she would have given in and transformed by now…

Desiree sighed, secretively putting a hand behind her back, summoning a large, pulsating ball of plasma that burned in her very control. She readied herself at the unsuspecting dark haired obstacle in her way.

"Well, it seems there is only one option, isn't there?" she threw her arm forward, releasing the deadly beam towards her target, "Die!"

Sam's eyes widened in horror as the green orb hurtled towards her. The oncoming heat was unbearable. Her bare arms flew up to shield her face and her eyes clenched shut. She heard a cry from the other side of the room. Danny. A cry of fear escaped her. She prepared herself for impact, when it came. But in the wrong direction and with much less pain. She tumbled to the ground and felt the bottle slip from her grasp. She pushed herself up and cried out in horror at the sight before her.

A trickle of blood travelling down her neckline, Vixey ignored the burning desire for air in her lungs and pushed herself to her feet at the sight of her friends upcoming fate. Summoning all of the strength she had left. She leaped forward and shoved Sam out of the way. The burning neon orb hit her square in the chest. The pain was unbearable, and she couldn't even scream due to her throat being closed off by the ever tightening pendant.

Desiree stopped the attack out of pure shock. The smell of burning hair and flesh hung in the air. Vixey slumped to the floor, writhing in agony and barely conscious. It took her a single moment to glare triumphantly at the spectre, before her trembling hand reached out and grabbed the bottle. She lifted it feebly above her head, gripped it around the neck and smashed the main body of it to the ground. Glass spattered everywhere, making the teenagers shield their eyes protectively.

Danny pushed himself to his feet in time to see Desiree screaming in anger and horror, aimlessly scooping up the glistening shards. He took the opportunity and shot a glowing attack of his own, hitting her directly in the small of her back. She recoiled in pain and turned to face him. He backed away at the sight of her. Her scarlet eyes burned menacingly and the acid green skin on her face was starting to split. All over her body, white lines started snaking their way jaggedly around her. It was as if her own skin was breaking along with the glass. She bent over in pain and gasped one last threat.

"You may have won this time, Danny Phantom, but don't forget… I'm not the worst thing out there…"

There was a flash of light that bounced off the clear walls of the room, blinding them all. There was an ear-splitting scream of pain and anger… and then, all was silent. Danny prised his eyes open and saw nothing but a small lump of ash and plasma among the shards of glass. Desiree was gone… She was really gone…

"Danny!"

He looked up at the sound of Sam calling him. She and Tucker were leaning over the motionless body of the girl who had saved her life. Danny rushed over and lifted her up so that her head was rested on his lap. Vixey breathed deeply, looking down at the smashed pendant that now hung loosely by her chest. A thin trail of smoke lingered in the air above it. Danny tried not to gag at the smell of burning around her. Her skin was horrible burnt and her hair was singed randomly, sending black ash peppered through her rusty colouring. Her violet eyes couldn't seem to focus and barly stayed open.

"Am I free?" she asked, barely a whisper.

"Yeah, yeah you're free, and you're gonna be okay. Right?" Sam asked, looking at Danny desperately.

"And you guys? You're… okay?"

"You know us, we're always okay in the end!" Tucker answered, forcing his tone to remain light and carefree.

"Come on, Vixey, we've got to get you to a hospital or something." Danny demanded, trying to lift her, but her body was already like a dead-weight.

"Pack it in, hero," she grinned, closing her eyes.

He shook her shoulders gently, "You're the hero this time."

"Oh shut up…" she whispered.

Her body, still smoking slightly at the darker burns, was getting steadily colder. Tucker couldn't look at her, he turned his head and breathed heavily. Sam clenched her eyes shut and nuzzled into the crook of Danny's neck. He rested his head on hers and looked down at the motionless figure that lay before him. Guilt and admiration pulsated though him. Vixey opened her violet eyes weakly and flashed them the most realistic grin she could muster and took a final breath.

"What's up? Fox got your tongue?"

A whisper of a laugh escaped her. But then… nothing. Her eyes drifted shut and her chest paused, no air able to pump though her any longer. Danny felt a drop of moisture on his shoulder where Sam was leaning on him. He wrapped an arm around her and pulled her closer to him, his eyes never leaving Vixey. His body felt rigid with anger. He wanted to scream, shout, break things, fly off and not come back. But he couldn't move. He feebly brushed a strand of copper hair from Vixey's lifeless face and looked back at the smouldering ash and glass.

They'd won… but in his eyes, it wasn't worth it.

_**A/N – Please don't shout or scream about this chapter, there is a little more I can get from this story so please, if you like Vixey, do not stop reading just because on this scene, and this is the first time I've killed off a character so I'm sorry if it wasn't that good –x-**_


	7. Chapter 7: From the Foxes Den

It had been a week since the fateful event where they had lost Vixey. Desiree was well and truly gone for good, but so was their friend. What made it worse was that no one at school seemed to remember her at all. But they guessed that it was part of the wish that Desiree had granted. Vixey had only been there to get Danny, so it made sense that Vixey was never really on the school records or took a real place in the memories of the students and teachers.

After she had faded away from them, Danny, Sam and Tucker had carried her to the hospital where they had made preparations for a funeral. Because she had no family, it was just the three of them there. It had been quick. It had been simple. And it had been forgettable. Once she was buried, her records from the hospital vanished. It was like she had never existed.

Danny sat in his room, Sam perched anxiously on the end of his bed while Tucker swivelled himself absentmindedly on the computer chair. No one had really spoken that much since that day. They had never really lost anyone before. So it had hit them all pretty hard. Normally when someone passed away, the friends and family are told, but they were there for the whole thing. Feeling her arms go limp in theirs, feeling her smouldering body go cold against theirs. It wasn't fair. It wasn't right…

All of a sudden, Danny froze as he felt a chill pass over him and a wisp of icy air passed through his lips. His friends eyed him, knowing exactly what he had just experienced, they had been around him long enough to know the signs. However, Danny ignored it and lay back down.

"Danny, I know it's hard but… you still have your duties dude…" Tucker offered, nervously.

He knew his friend was right, "I've never let anyone die before… All those times we've been in danger but, no one ever got really hurt…"

"Don't blame yourself, she was saving me, it's my fault…" Sam demanded, hating herself.

"It was no ones fault." Tucker snapped, "But Danny, if you stop, more people will get hurt, so you can't just stay here forever."

"He's right you know, come on, let's go kick some ghost butt, what do you say?" Sam added, forcing a smile.

Danny looked at his friends in turn. They were right. No one could have stopped what had happened, and if he didn't pull himself together, then things would only get worse and then it would be his fault. He pushed himself up and sighed.

"Going Ghost…" he mumbled, allowing the transformation to pass through him.

He shoved the Fenton Thermos into the strap of his belt and looked out of the window. There was a moment of hesitation. Something warm slipped into his palm. He looked down and saw Sam lacing her fingers in his gloved ones. He nodded at her gratefully.

"Do you want us to come with you?" she asked.

He shook his head and released his grip, climbing through the window, "No, I've got to do this on my own."

He took off into the air and scanned the area for signs of attack. The icy sense at the back of his throat was getting stronger by the second. He couldn't even see his house anymore. Suddenly, he heard a crash inside the old warehouse below him. He dived down and fazed his body through the roof and into the box filled room. He glared around at the shadows and listened for any sign of moment. There was a cry of effort and Danny ducked just in time to see a large cardboard box hurtling though the air.

A large ghost in overalls and a dazed expression on his face hovered into view, "Beware the wrath of the Box-Ghost!" he bellowed in an over-the-top haunting voice that you normally hear in children's cartoons.

"You again?" Danny moaned, "How did you even escape? Look, I'm not in the mood for this."

"Then maybe you are in the mood for my _box_-ing skills!"

He lifted a series of boxes into the air and aimed one after the other at Danny. Danny ducked them all with little effort and pulled out the thermos and aimed it as the annoying spectre. He powered it up and pressed the crucial button, trapping the ghost in the beam.

"No, I'm not in the mood." Danny answered.

The box-ghost cried out in horror as he was pulled into the confined depths of the thermos. Danny snapped the lid shut, satisfied with his results. He slotted the thermos back into the side of his belt and took a step towards the entrance. But then, another icy spell descended over him. He span around, ready for another attack. But none came. Another ghost? Seriously?

Something pulled at his belt. He yelped in surprise and span around to face the stealthy observer. He dabbed at his belt and groaned in anger as he noticed the thermos was missing. He scanned the area and noticed a tiny trace of movement from behind a stack of boxes. He tiptoed closer and froze at the sight of a small creature.

It moved at lightening speed and leapt up to his shoulders, nipping him on the ear. He cried out in shock and tried to back away, tripping over his own feet. He tumbled to the floor and felt a small weight press on his chest. He looked up to see the creature, a little animal that looked kind of like a fox. Only it had a strange, paint green aura around it. Its violet eyes looked down at him and winked playfully. It was surrounded by a flash of neon green light and the weight increased slightly.

"What's up? Fox got you tongue?"

Danny gasped as he looked up at the figure that was lightly leaning on his chest, "Vixey?"

She grinned. Her olive skin was very faintly tinted with a glowing aura of neon green, her flowing copper hair still in its signature bunched, pales white in the tips. As she grinned, he noticed her teeth were slightly more pointed than before, almost animalistic.

"What? You look like you've seen a… Oh, right, let's not be cliché, remember?" she laughed.

She helped him to his feet and took great amusement in his mouth hanging open in awe and his eyes ready to pop out of his head. She was starting to feel a bit awkward so she punched him playfully on the shoulder.

"Boo."

He seemed to snap out of it, "How? How is this even…?" he trailed off, not able to find the words.

"You didn't think I was going to give up my freedom that easy, did you? No, I'm rid of Desiree and I'm going to damn well enjoy myself. Unless…" she lifted her hand to reveal the thermos, spinning it in her palm, "I don't have permission?"

He sighed, a smile twitching at his mouth, "I'm not going to stop you, but I can't let you stay here either…" he rubbed his neck anxiously, "You're a ghost, Vixey, you have to be in the Ghost-Zone."

She nodded, "I know that, and to be honest, it's going to be an adventure, but for now I just want… some time. Please Danny, I want to live some more before I have to go."

He looked into her violet eyes which were now unusually bright from her ghost senses, making them almost as neon as his green.

"Like I said, I'm not going to stop you…" he grinned, "But, promise me something?"

"Anything, hero." She winked.

"Come and visit us again soon, okay, the guys really miss you too."

She grinned and took a step forward to wrap her arms around him, "Sure thing."

He felt awkward, but summoned enough courage to place a single arm on her shoulder. She laughed and broke away, lifting herself into the air, hovering over him. She lowered her voice and mimicked the tone of the recently captured box-ghost and somehow managing to make it more over-the-top than the original. He raised her arms dramatically.

"You will never catch the wonder that is the _Fox_-Ghost!"

Danny laughed and caught the thermos that she tossed at him, "Yeah, we'll see."

She smiled down at him, "That Sam's a lucky girl, you know." She paused at his confused expression, "Or maybe you don't know…"

"What's that supposed to mean?" he folded his arms, arching his brow.

"Vixey shook her head and grinned, "Thanks Danny, and tell the others I said thanks too. I'll see you around." She raised her body and started to faze herself through the ceiling, "Just remember, everything's gonna be fine, okay?"

With that, she was gone. Danny followed her through the brickwork and looked around, but there was no sign of her anywhere. He smiled to himself; she sure was a character… He made his way back to his room and allowed the energy to pass over him, turning his snowy white hair to jet black, blinking the neon green from his eyes and replacing them with a powder blue. He collapsed onto his bed and stared aimlessly at the ceiling.

"Danny? What happened, dude?" Tucker asked, jumping to his feet.

Sam eyed him warily, "Is everything okay?"

Danny smirked and laced his fingers in hers, looking back between her and Tucker. He shook his head with a laugh and sighed. He opened his mouth, trying to find the words to explain what had just happened, when all of a sudden, things just seemed to fall into place before him.

"You know what? Everything is gonna be fine…"

The End…?


End file.
